Improvement in artificial legs



` UNITED STATES,

PATENT ,OFFICIE.

URIAH' SMITH, 0F BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT iN ARTIFICIAL I EGs. l

'To all whom it may concern:

` Be it known that I, URIAH SMITH, of Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of 4Michigan, httve invented a. new and Improved Artificial Leg; and I do hereby declerethat the following isa. full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ofv the saine, reference beinghad to the annexed drawings, making a. port-of this specification', in which.

'Figure 1 is an external view of the leg,

stu'ed and covered for wearing. Fig.2'is a. sectional profile view. Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the knee-joint withl the petella.

removed. Fig. 4 is an Aenlarged proiile sec tibill View of the knee-joint.. Y Fig. 5 is aprole view of the knee-joint with one of the side pieces", C, removed. Fig.- 6 is an enlarged view ofthe ankle-joint.

In n.11 the iignrsthe same letters refer to thesme p'a-rts. i'

The construction of this leg is as" followsf vThe lower end of the femur or thigh-boneA and the upper end ofthe tibia B are rounded lnterallyto a true circle and brought together so as to take bearings end to end against each other, thus dispensing with' a bolt at 'the'knee-y joint. These. parts are held in place by the stl-'aps fg g h 1, theside pieces, C C, Eig. 3,'

Aand-,the pins P 1.V -The central perpendicular bar, D, is held in its place bythe pinsP P.

Cross-bars E E F F are screwed fast to the upper and lower leg-pieces, A. B', in such-a.'

liianner :is to arrest the motion. of the up' right bar l) when the leg is straightened, two

of them, Ek E, near the center.- the others, F F, at each of its extremities, thnsforming an eicient and substantial hneeistop, without bringing any strain upon the pins? 1" or the straps g g h h. '.lhe knee-joint is further strengthened by the toothedsegments T.- TV on eeh' side of the kneelioint, two only of vwhich are shown at Fi g. 5,} to le it to sus 'tain any twisting' strain or any? weight borne in the lap of the whaier whilein n sitting post- 'lhe ankle-joint is formed byproiections a o upon the tibio, (one ot' which issecn-atFig. 6,-) resting' upon corresponding shoulders, b b,

' Aou the footfpicce I, hold in place by stra-ps o d, Vapplied as in the knee-joint, thus for-thing n solidbcming nt this point withoiit'fth'e .use

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39.361, dated J Illy 28, 1862i.

TheA motion of the foot is limited bythe tenen of the tibia striking at diagonal points in the mortise of the foot-piece, thus forming en eicient stop for the ankle-joint, yet bringing no'strain upony thestraps c d.

Thefoot is'held to -the leg by the cord of 'It will be seen that as the knee is flexed in the actof walkin g a strain immediately comes upon the cord L, which being attached to the foot lifts the toes, and being drawn over the knee-joint, acts as a most e'ective kneespring in the forward ino-vement of the gl'eg. Thus the living body is 'made to impart of itsvigor and elasticity to the artificial appendage.

To sare any unpleasant sensation from the I sudden strain upon the-cord L, s. piece of olasi tic is inserted inthe-t cord at The advantages which I claim for this leg are- L First. v'.llhe knee-jointedinits of being bent bck to the fu'll extent of vthe natural-limb,

thus relieving the lwearer from the many cramped and 'uncomfortable positions in which he iscontinuall y finding himself with a kneejoint that will bend only to an angle of ninety degrees and, furtl1er,enobling himto assume myposlton that he couldv with the natural Second. A solidend continuelle support-of wood is obtained from the body to the groundl without, the use of bolts, which `usually edd greatly to the weight o f the limb.

Third. All springsin the leg are dispensed with, thus uvoidingthe' necessity of frelnent repairs.l

Fourth. Legs, which have a spring attached near the unklejoint, to operate that joint, keep -the toes elevated Awhenthe wearer is sitting, and the foot is relieved from pressure,

which is nn awkward position. TVith this leg, when o. person is sitting, the cord L is relaxed',

nll'owngthe toes' to 'drop into their nntnrnl position.

. Fifth.v Legstlmt have n spring in the knej joint `tn xthztt spring to its" utmost when the lieg is flexed. in the sitting posture, and'being 4in his position so largo a proportion of the time, as must necessarily be, the spring will o'sfentnnlly is@ its elasticity and become inozqmme. f "l this leg, when a person is in the si'lztinf. oist1mQ,-lbllo oord L is relaxed and h@ @am c i1. is rolim'ed from all tension wlmivon no Strain. being; pnl upon l, except 'in .the act of walking, which is alle only timo on@ 75o ond against enen other, and heldl in ther normal relations-to each otllerby the' Simp@ g g 7i. '7L7 the Sida pieces, C C, the bar D,

and the pins P l?, the ends of the said planen A B boing I'onna'loil, no as to allow alla knee to be flexed to tllofnll oxtenio the nntnl'al limb. 2. A knee-stop formed by nronn'lmrn E E F F, or than. oqvivalnts, noting upon the bar D, snbsmltinlly aS :and for tlm pnposo herein vset forth. 3. 'An ankle-jointaommd by the, promotions frl a upon -the I tibia, rooting upon the correconnection with the straps o r2, and the coral u, as herein set forth and described.

The com L, or ists eq nivalent, nttmbonl to the inotep of the footv7 passing np under the pztella, mld attaching nl; somo point nbovo vtlm log to the nmmrting-stmp S, to operate both 'the knee and ankle joints, substantially in the manner heroin specified. v v

UllAll- Slll'l'lll.

^ In prononce o;- l

' JOHN MAGHEM. M. B. RUSSELL. 

